1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device and a manufacturing process thereof used for purposes such as photovoltaic power generation. In particular, the present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device using crystalline semiconductor particles and a manufacturing process thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a known photoelectric conversion device which includes numerous crystalline semiconductor particles of one conductivity type deposited on a substrate having an electrode of one side and joined thereto, an insulator interposed among the crystalline semiconductor particles, a semiconductor layer of the opposite conductivity type provided over the crystalline semiconductor particles, and an electrode of another side connected to the semiconductor layer of the opposite conductivity type.
For the insulator in the above photoelectric conversion device, a heat-resistant inorganic material, for example, silicon oxide is employed.
However, when such a heat-resistant inorganic material is used, a problem arises in that defects such as cracking and peeling are generated in the insulator and crystalline semiconductor particles in the film deposition process using CVD or the like for forming the semiconductor layer of the opposite conductivity type over the crystalline semiconductor particles.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a low cost photoelectric conversion device with high performance and reliability and a manufacturing process thereof by adopting a material that is unlikely to cause generation of defects as the material for the insulator to fill interstices among the semiconductor particles.